I Am More Paranoid Than the Villain – Chapter 6

Red and White Roses

Shushu is the most beautiful in my heart.

Auntie He finished making breakfast.

Shen Man sat at the dining table. After waiting for a while, she still didn’t see Lin Shu come out of her room.

She got up, preparing to go call for Lin Shu.

Auntie He hurriedly stopped her, saying, “Miss Lin gets grumpy when she wakes up¹. Let her sleep a little longer.”

Shen Man glanced at the time. There was still an hour, so she was not in a hurry.

She sat down, eating breakfast while waiting for Lin Shu.

Ten minutes passed.

The door to Lin Shu’s room was opened, and a figure came running out in a hurry.

“Why didn’t you all wake me up? Are you deliberately trying to make me oversleep?” Lin Shu complained, pouting.

Auntie He immediately apologized and soothed her, ladling a bowl of porridge and placing it in front of Lin Shu. “Miss Lin, I’m sorry. I will definitely wake you up earlier next time.”

Shen Man watched quietly.

For Auntie He, this kind of situation was likely a common occurrence, and that word ‘earlier’ was merely a polite formality.

After finishing breakfast, Shen Man went back to her room to get her schoolbag.

There was now half an hour until class started.

Shen Man sat in the living room and waited for two minutes, then got up and walked towards Lin Shu’s room.

Lin Shu’s door was not shut tightly.

Through the crack in the door, Shen Man saw Lin Shu meticulously picking out a dress.

She knocked on the door and asked in a louder voice, “Young Miss, what are you doing? It’s time to go to school.”

Hearing the voice, Lin Shu pouted her small lips, thought for two seconds, opened the door, and said to Shen Man, “You, come in.”

Shen Man smiled, stepped inside and stood there, her gaze quickly sweeping around the room.

Lin Shu’s room had a standard fairytale princess design.

It was dominated by a romantic and cute pink color scheme, with lace and bows used in many small details. Inside the room, there was a cabinet specifically for displaying various fairytale princess figurines² and plush dolls.

In particular, on the bed, there was a doll as tall as a person.

Shen Man took a closer look and noticed that the doll was a bit old and worn, with stitching marks on its hands and legs.

It must have been bought a long time ago.

“This big doll is so cute. Where did you buy it?” Shen Man asked with a smile.

Hearing this, Lin Shu turned back to look at the doll, her expression complex. “My dad bought this.”

“It was the first birthday present he ever gave me.” For this latter sentence, Lin Shu’s tone carried an indescribable sense of loss.

Shen Man watched, remembering what Auntie He had said.

Lin Shu was indeed a thousand pieces of gold from a wealthy family³ who lacked love.

No matter how good her material conditions were, or how much money Father Lin gave her, it could not fill the void in her heart and spirit.

A person like this, after grasping onto a sliver of love, often becomes terrifyingly obsessive.

In the later parts of the story, Lin Shu would become increasingly crazed because she could not get what she desired.

“What are you thinking about?” Lin Shu shouted, picking up a white dress and holding it in front of herself. Her eyes shining with excitement, she said, “Quick, help me take a look. How is this dress?”

Shen Man came back to her senses, looked it over from top to bottom, and said in a serious, professional tone, “This white one is too plain. It doesn’t suit your sparkling makeup today.”

“Is that so?” Lin Shu, half-believing and half-doubting, put down the white dress and picked up a black one next to it. “What about this one?”

“The color is too dark. The weather is still very hot right now. It will absorb heat and make you sweat easily,” Shen Man said.

Lin Shu gave up on it immediately and picked up a third dress.

In total, she tried on ten dresses, all of which were rejected by Shen Man for various picky reasons.

“I have no dresses to wear…” Lin Shu wailed softly in distress.

Shen Man looked at the no fewer than several hundred designer brand items in the closet and said, “…”

“Which one do you think I should wear?” Lin Shu asked, vexed.

“The white shirt and short skirt would be great,” Shen Man replied.

This was what Lin Shu was wearing the first time she saw her.

She could still feel the stunning impression from that time as she recalled it now.

“I’ve already worn that. How could I wear it again?” Lin Shu glared at Shen Man, her small face puffed up unhappily. “I have to sit next to Shao Qi today. I must wear the most beautiful dress to make him notice me.”

Shen Man’s eyes deepened. She smiled, walked to Lin Shu’s side, took a red, sleeveless long dress from the closet, and said, “Try this one.”

“The style of this one looks just so-so.” Lin Shu said in a low voice, but still took the dress to the bathroom to change.

Her room had a private bathroom.

Lin Shu came out after changing her clothes.

Her delicate fingers tugged at the hem of the dress. She stood before the mirror, looked left and right, her fair, tender face showing nervousness and unease. “Do you think I really look good in this dress?”

“Of course. In my heart, Shushu is the most beautiful.” A smile played on Shen Man’s lips as she approached from behind, wrapped her hands around Lin Shu’s slender waist, and let her warm breath fall upon that stretch of fair, tender neck.

Lin Shu felt a tickle on her neck and instinctively flinched.

That warmth seemed to penetrate her skin and blow right into her heart, making her heartbeat accelerate uncontrollably.

The body heat belonging to another person enveloped her completely, as if there were no escape.

Lin Shu turned her head to the side.

Their gazes met in the mirror. Those smiling eyes flashed with the same scorching heat as that night, as if they were about to burn her to ashes.

Lin Shu’s heart gave a hard, stimulated leap.

Waves of heat rushed out from her whole body, penetrating every pore. Her fair, tender face was flushed crimson.

After being stunned for a moment, Lin Shu finally regained control of her body.

She pushed Shen Man away with both hands, her face red, and said angrily, “Why are you standing so close?”

Shen Man let out a light laugh, let go at the right moment, and revealed an innocent expression. “Who could blame me when Shushu is so cute?”

Lin Shu huffed, turning back to the mirror to check her makeup.

Shen Man stood to the side, a playful smile on her lips.

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The sound of a car horn came from downstairs.

Lin Shu immediately ran to the room’s balcony and waved to the outside.

Shen Man glanced over; it was Tan Kai.

The two of them left together.

Shen Man pressed the elevator button and asked with a smile, “Where’s your private driver?”

“Having Tan Kai is enough. He drives me to and from school every day,” Lin Shu said proudly.

“Once I get my driver’s license, I’ll be the one to drive you every day,” Shen Man said, her tone becoming deep.

Her face was deceptively beautiful. A simple sentence spoken from those lovely red lips sounded like some kind of solemn promise.

Lin Shu looked into those eyes, her heart tightening. She unconsciously turned her head away and adjusted her beautiful makeup and hair in the mirror.

Shen Man chuckled softly.

Dealing with a little girl like this with no relationship experience, a single deep look or an ambiguous phrase was enough to make the other party feel completely at a loss.

Lin Shu was the first to walk out of the elevator.

She quietly let out a breath and strode towards Tan Kai’s car.

When Tan Kai saw the two of them come out, he immediately broke into a hearty smile. “Get in, I’ll take you to school.”

“Thank you.” Shen Man gave a gentle smile and sat in the back.

Lin Shu sat in the front.

Tan Kai was puzzled. Looking at Lin Shu, he said with a laugh, “You always sit in the back. Why do you want to sit in the front today?”

“I just feel like sitting in the front today.” Lin Shu lifted her chin haughtily⁴, her peripheral vision meeting Shen Man’s smiling eyes before she immediately looked away.

“Alright, alright, alright. You can sit wherever you want.” Tan Kai immediately conceded⁵ and started the car.

It was a five-minute drive from the Lin family home to the school.

The school was built to be grand and magnificent; every building exuded the luxury and style of the wealthy.

A casual snapshot anywhere would be a beautiful landscape photo.

Most of the students at the school were children of rich families, and there were also many beauties.

Lin Shu had specially dressed up today. The moment she appeared, everyone around her was instantly eclipsed⁶.

Many people stopped in their tracks, looking over with envy and amazement.

Lin Shu leisurely and contentedly enjoyed those admiring gazes, glanced smugly at Shen Man, and said with a haughty expression, “It seems I’m more popular.”

The moment her words fell, a scream erupted from the crowd of onlookers. “Isn’t that the school flower⁷, Shen Man? How can someone be so beautiful? She’s like a fairy.”

Hearing this, Shen Man nodded and greeted the people around her with a gentle smile.

“Ahhh, the fairy is even more beautiful when she smiles.”

“She’s good-looking, has good grades, and is so gentle.”

Compliments for Shen Man rose and fell throughout the crowd, completely ignoring Lin Shu in the process.

Lin Shu’s pretty little face darkened. She glared at Shen Man, unwilling to concede. “Those people must be blind to think you’re beautiful.”

“I also think Shushu is a little more beautiful,” Shen Man agreed good-naturedly.

Lin Shu choked on her words, her expression turning even uglier.

Tan Kai laughed, trying to ease the tension. “You two great beauties, in everyone’s hearts, one is a white moonlight⁸, gentle as water, and the other is a cinnabar mole⁹, glamorous and captivating. It’s impossible to say who is better.”

“A distinction still has to be made.” Shen Man said, her lips curling into a smile, her eyes full of mirth.

Tan Kai froze for a moment and looked towards Lin Shu.

“I won’t be the one to lose,” Lin Shu huffed proudly, her pair of almond eyes full of provocation.

Shen Man met her gaze with a smile.

Lin Shu was the first to back down, pulling Tan Kai towards the classroom.

Shen Man followed behind.

Quite a few people were already seated in the classroom. The desks were arranged in pairs, forming rows.

Lin Shu entered through the back door and happily snatched a spot in the corner.

Tan Kai looked at Shen Man, rubbing his short hair embarrassedly, and asked with a smile, “Shen Man, where are you going to sit?”

“I’ll just sit in front of Shushu.” Shen Man chuckled, seeing that the boy wanted to sit next to her, and said with a smile, “You should sit with Shushu.”

Lin Shu immediately refused. “No way. This seat is being saved for Shao Qi.”

Without another word, Tan Kai sat down next to Lin Shu.

“Tan Kai, you go away! I don’t want to sit with you,” Lin Shu said, pushing Tan Kai forcefully.

Tan Kai remained as unshakable as a mountain¹⁰.

The smile on Shen Man’s lips deepened.

The classroom suddenly fell silent. All the students’ gazes turned towards the door.

Shen Man followed their gaze.

A tall, thin figure appeared at the classroom door.

He was dressed all in black, with a handsome appearance and a look of cold indifference on his face that kept others a thousand li away, as if he were unconcerned with anything.

“Ahhh, it’s Shao Qi! He looks insanely cool in black.”

“He really is the school grass¹¹. The ascetic type¹² is so appealing.”

A considerable clamor broke out in the classroom.

Shen Man glanced around.

Many of the girls had red stars in their eyes, their faces flushed with excitement. The classroom was as lively as a large-scale fan meet¹³.

“Shao Qi is so handsome,” came Lin Shu’s amazed voice from behind her.

Shen Man’s expression sank, and her gaze met Shao Qi’s.

Under everyone’s astonished gazes, Shao Qi sat down next to Shen Man.

Lin Shu: “…”

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